Bedridden
by 0.lumia.0
Summary: For RinShi week! What happens when Shiemi is out of school with a cold? FYI; this is sort of a sequel to Cherish, but it makes sense either way.


_I just want to note that my one-shots for RinShi week don't typically have any relation to each other. but after yesterday's prompt (cherish) I decided that I wanted this prompt to follow that one. in Cherish, Rin realizes how deeply he cares for Shiemi and what better way to test the waters than being bedridden!_

* * *

When Yukio began the class with an announcement that Shiemi was not going to be in class, Rin worried. Because it would've seemed weird for him to shout out "What's wrong with her?" during class, the half demon remained worried until class had ended and he had a moment to speak to his brother.

"Is Shiemi ok?" Rin approached his brother's desk.

"Her mother said she has a sore throat and fever, so Shiemi stayed home to rest. She should be fine in a few days or so." Yukio smiled at his worried brother. "In the meantime, do you mind taking Shiemi her homework?"

"Me?!" Rin squeaked, but then tried to play it off. "W-why not have Izumo or someone else do it?"

"Because you and I have already seen Shiemi in a similar unflattering state when she was possessed. She's a shy girl and I'm sure that sending someone like Izumo, who Shiemi seems to want to impress, will only embarrass her."

Rin's cheeks were a shade of pink as he nodded to his brother. Yukio did have a point.

"Perfect, because I wouldn't have time to drop the homework off until later tonight. Here are the worksheets. And I already wrote down what pages she needs to read over."

* * *

Rin walked slowly to Shiemi's house. He was torn between two thoughts. On one hand, he hoped that Shiemi was asleep so that he didn't have to be embarrassed at dropping the homework off. He felt like it was a very boyfriend/girlfriend thing to do to be looking after her like that. On the other hand, he hoped that Shiemi was awake because he wanted to see her. A day that went by without seeing the blonde felt like an empty day to Rin. Even seeing her sick would be better than not seeing her at all.

He approached her house and entered through the shop. Her mother greeted him, not realizing that he wasn't a customer.

"I'm here to give Shiemi the homework she missed today." Rin mumbled, cheeks ablaze.

"Oh, how nice of you. I'm so glad Shiemi has such a great friend that looks out for her. Go right on through the back here, it goes into the house. I'd take you back there, but I can't leave the shop unattended. Shiemi should be awake."

Rin headed through the hallway to the house portion of the building. He walked into the main sitting room and tried to figure out which door led to Shiemi's bedroom. Rin swallowed a lump in his throat as he began to feel abnormally hot. He was about to see inside of Shiemi's bedroom.

But before he could start opening doors to find out, a noise startled him.

"Oh!" Shiemi exclaimed, startled, and cleared her throat. "H-hello Rin." Her voice sounded much raspier than normal. Rin turned to see the blonde standing in a doorway; the one he assumed led to her bedroom.

"Sh-Shiemi! Geez, don't scare me like that." At his words, Shiemi began to giggle, only to end up in a coughing fit. Rin stood guiltily as the blonde coughed. _Don't do_ _anything that'll make her laugh. Got it._

Once she had recovered, Shiemi smiled at Rin, her face flushed. Rin stared dumbly back into her warm smile, before he shook his head and tried to focus on why he came here.

"I-I brought you the homework from today's lesson." Rin said and handed the papers over to the blonde. Her face seemed to light up at the gesture.

"Thank you, Rin! That's so kind of you to watch over me like this."

"Well I-" Rin was about to explain that it was actually Yukio's idea, but was interrupted.

 _Don't even finish that sentence!_ A voice in the back of Rin's mind scolded. _You've accepted the fact that you really like Shiemi. You might as well show her how important she is to you. It's foolish to belittle your thoughtful gestures because you're_ _embarrassed._ Strange; the voice sounded alarmingly similar to Mephisto's.

Rin snapped back to reality and realized Shiemi was staring at him. "Ah, shouldn't you be in bed?"

Shiemi shrugged halfheartedly. "Yes, but I've been in bed all day. Now that you brought me some homework, maybe it won't be as bad." She turned back into her bedroom with her homework.

Rin felt guilty yet again. He could tell she was miserable. Judging by her mother's unwillingness to leave the shop, Rin was willing to bet that Shiemi hadn't talked to anyone that day. He had to fix that. He had to make her happy in the same way that she made him happy.

"W-wait!" Rin called out a little too over dramatically. Shiemi turned to face him, waiting for him to continue. "Why don't you come sit outside with me? The fresh air would be good for you."

Shiemi's face lit up again and she nodded. "I would really enjoy that!" She quickly set the homework down in her bedroom and grabbed a light jacket.

* * *

Rin and Shiemi discussed school and other bland things that Rin didn't find particularly interesting, but it would help with the silence that would fall between the two of them.

To Rin, the silence was uncomfortable. To Shiemi, he could tell it was relaxing. She seemed to soak in all of the sights and sounds of nature. At one point, when he glanced at her, the sun was hitting her hair just right and the blonde looked like an angel. Rin cleared his throat, blushing for the umpteenth time that day.

"Well I don't want to hold you up anymore." Shiemi spoke softly as she stood up from the bench.

"Are you sure? I don't mind." Rin protested.

"Thank you, but I should get started on my homework I missed today."

Rin nodded and also stood up. As the two walked from the bench near her grandmother's garden back to her house, Shiemi smiled up at Rin.

"Thank you for everything Rin."

Rin found his mouth dry, but managed to speak. "Anytime, Shiemi."


End file.
